The citizenship listed on the local birth certificate will not affect your child’s claim of U.S. citizenship.  If a child is the biological child of a U.S. citizen parent who meets transmission requirements, the Embassy or Consulate will issue the CRBA for the child.

Department of State regulations require that the name on the Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) certificate match the name on the Vietnamese birth certificate, with limited exceptions.  However, if you would like to switch your child’s name order on the CRBA, we will match the child’s name order exactly as written on the DS-2029 application form when processing the application.  We do not accept other name changes in the CRBA application.

If you would like for your child to be registered with a non-Vietnamese name, please obtain documentation from the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi or the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City indicating that you plan to seek U.S. citizenship for your child prior to issuance of the Vietnamese birth certificate.

• However, note that local authorities will have the final decision in the name allowed on a Vietnamese birth certificate.
• We recommend that you consult a local attorney or talk to the local officials processing the birth certificate to clarify how it will impact your child’s claim to Vietnamese citizenship in the future.

To request a name change on the CRBA, applying guardians must provide an amended birth certificate from the government of Vietnam recognizing the name change.

Note: If the Vietnamese authorities refuse to provide an amended birth certificate, any differences between the names present on your child’s CRBAs and Vietnamese birth certificate will present difficulties with Vietnamese immigration authorities when entering or leaving Vietnam.

If you are unable to receive a Vietnamese birth certificate with a non-Vietnamese name, you can legally change your child’s name at a local court upon returning to the United States and apply for a new passport with the updated name.

For specific questions related to names on a CRBA, please contact us here.

The U.S. Embassy and Consulate cannot amend a CRBA.  You may wish to contact the Department of State to request an amendment.  For more information, please see: Replace or Amend a Consular Report of Birth Abroad.

From April 4, 2016, the name of a Vietnamese parent on the child’s Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) is printed in the same order as found in the parent’s Vietnamese passport.  If the Vietnamese parent’s passport shows the full name as: “Nguyen Van A”, the system will record “Van A” as given name and “Nguyen” as Surname.  Therefore, the child’s CRBA will show the Vietnamese parent’s name as “Van A Nguyen.”  As this is the correct order for Vietnamese names according to the U.S. Department of State, no adjustments can be made.  If there are other errors, please send us a public inquiry form.

CRBA applications are administratively closed 90 days after the date of submission.

An original CRBA is issued only one time.  You can request a copy from the Department of State.

Documents  that will assist in proving physical presence often includes airline tickets, Vietnam entry visa stamps on your passport, or any other proof you feel would assist the adjudicator in making a decision.  More examples are available at the transmission requirements page.

The U.S. Embassy and Consulate do not issue Social Security Numbers (SSN). The office of Social Security Administration (SSA) in Manila is the agency responsible for issuing SSN and individuals must apply for SSN directly with the SSA office located in Manila, Philippines. Normally, it takes 3-6 months for Manila to process the application and the social security cards will be mailed directly to your address given on the application. You can contact the SSA office directly. Their contact information is available here.

You can also apply for your child’s SSN after your child arrives in the United States.

If you registered your child as a Vietnamese citizen on his/her Vietnamese birth certificate, then you must apply for a Vietnamese passport for the child in order for him/her to leave Vietnam.

If you registered your child as a U.S. citizen on his/her Vietnamese birth certificate, then you must apply for a Vietnamese visa for the child after he/she receives a U.S. passport.

Regardless of the child’s citizenship, make sure to carry the child’s Vietnamese birth certificate when departing Vietnam as Immigration authorities may wish to see it.

Please contact the nearest Vietnam Immigration Department for more information about Vietnamese passports and visas:

Hanoi office:
Immigration Department: 44-46 Tran Phu Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
Inquiry phone: (024) 3825-7941 within Vietnam or (84-24) 3825-7941 from the U.S.
Website: https://xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn
Office hours: 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Ho Chi Minh City offices:
Immigration Department: 333-335-337 Nguyen Trai Street, Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
Inquiry phone: (028) 3920-1701 – (028) 3920-0353 – (028) 3920-2300 – (028) 3838-6425.
Website: https://xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn
Office hours: 7:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and 7:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays (except holidays).

Immigration Office: 196 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
Inquiry phone: (028) 3829-9398
Website:http://xnc.catphcm.bocongan.gov.vn/
Office hours: 7:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays (except holidays).